How Does Smoking Affect the Heart and Blood Vessels?
Cigarette smoking causes about 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States each year. It’s the main preventable cause of death and illness in the United States.
Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, mouth, reproductive organs, bones, and digestive organs. This article focuses on how smoking affects the heart and blood vessels.
Other Diseases and Conditions Index articles, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), Bronchitis, and Cough, discuss how smoking affects the lungs.
Overview
Smoking and Your Heart and Blood Vessels
The chemicals in tobacco smoke harm blood cells and can damage the function of the heart and the structure and function of blood vessels. This damage increases your risk of atherosclerosis (ath-er-o-skler-O-sis).
Atherosclerosis is a disease in which a fatty substance called plaque (plak) builds up in the arteries. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body.
Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease, occurs if plaque builds up in the coronary (heart) arteries. Over time, CHD can lead to chest pain, heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs), or even death.
Smoking by itself is a major risk factor for heart disease. When combined with other risk factors—such as unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and overweight or obesity—smoking further raises the risk of heart disease.
Smoking also is a major risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D.). P.A.D. is a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs, and limbs. People who have P.A.D. are at increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Any amount of smoking, even light smoking or occasional smoking, damages the heart and blood vessels. For some people, such as women who use oral contraceptives and people who have diabetes, smoking poses an even greater risk to the heart and blood vessels.
Secondhand smoke also can harm the heart and blood vessels. Secondhand smoke is the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Secondhand smoke also refers to smoke that’s breathed out by a person who is smoking.
Secondhand smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals that people inhale when they smoke. It damages the heart and blood vessels in the same ways that active smoking does. Secondhand smoke greatly increases the risk of heart attack and death.
Researchers know less about how cigar and pipe smoke affects the heart and blood vessels than they do about cigarette smoke. However, the smoke from cigars and pipes contains the same harmful chemicals as the smoke from cigarettes. Also, studies have shown that people who smoke cigars are at increased risk of heart disease.
Benefits of Quitting Smoking and Avoiding Secondhand Smoke
One of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease is to avoid tobacco smoke. Don’t ever start smoking. If you already smoke, quit. No matter how much or how long you've smoked, quitting will benefit you.
Also, avoid secondhand smoke. Don’t go to places where smoking is allowed, and ask friends and family members who smoke not to do it in the house and car.
Quitting smoking will reduce your risk of developing and dying from heart disease. Over time, quitting also will decrease your risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots.
If you smoke and already have heart disease, quitting smoking will reduce your risk of sudden cardiac death, a second heart attack, and death from other chronic diseases.
Researchers have studied communities that have banned smoking at worksites and in public places. The number of heart attacks in these communities dropped significantly. Researchers think these results are due to a decrease in active smoking and reduced exposure to secondhand smoke.
Outlook
Smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke damages the heart and blood vessels in many ways. It also is a major risk factor for developing heart disease or dying from it.
Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke can begin to reverse heart and blood vessel damage and reduce heart disease risk right away.
Quitting smoking is possible, but it can be hard. Millions of people have successfully quit smoking and remained nonsmokers. A variety of strategies, programs, and medicines are available to help you quit smoking.
Not smoking is an important part of a heart healthy lifestyle. A heart healthy lifestyle also includes following a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and doing physical activity regularly.
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